The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-01-11
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REPUBLICAN CITY TICKET.
Foa MAyoE-B. u. d JNISER. raE
Foa cry UtXRK FRANK ". BoWER5. w." &
For CIrY sEtGgAHr- THOMAS y. BENNETT.
FOR wMARP MAkTER-IIESRi sEA"0E.
a Prosperous Year.

The general Industrial condition of the
c,unsry tho past year and the prosppets
for tho yesr Just opened are gratifying In
deed. Bradsirccts elaborate commercial
review of the failures during 1886 and
comparison with the failures Of the pre-
coiing ak years chow that there Is gsne'-
ally better feeling in the countine-ruoma
OF the country than there has been at the
close Of any your within this half decade.
Tho record ci failures Is: For 1881, 50!o;
for 1882, 1885: for 1883, l0,290; for 1854,
1920; for 1885, ll,llG; for 1886, l0,5OS.
Thore were very few moro fsilures last
year than in 1883. although, Of coutae,
there were great many moro enterprises
il the country than there were three
years $50. This indicates that as the
number OF failures steadily increased up
to tho hard year OF 1854, they have de.
creaqed since then IN spite Of the enormous
increase Of the number otcommeIciel IN.
dedakings. The ssaetts Of those that fail-
cd in 1885 vera only 40 percent Of their
liabil!tipp, whils In 1886 they were 40 per-
cent, which ghoYs that tho failures that
did occdr los. year we're OF lesa serious
nature than Gu tho preceding year. p. y
Commenting OIL this s.atement M tx.
change remarks: "Tle record Of failures
il Eot sn iniall;hlo index to the stGto Of
businsre, for it may be- a measure OF reck'
les.ness or conservatism, as the ccse may
be, rather than OF tho acsual commercial
condition. Still they afford strong circum-
s.entisl evidence CT "bad" times when
they jncress9 and OF good times when they
deCrease in number. A better measure OF
the commercial! feeling, perhaps, is the
condition OF the steel aud iron trade.
Durirg the last yzar this index was even
moro favorable than the record OF bust
ness tailuIca Tbs Iron and Steel Asso-
citation repgrts that there was almost
phenemenhl prosperity, very evenly dis
tri5uteh, throughout The year jos: closed.
The proGuc. OF iron Gpd steel OF eli i'm
portaat grades weu much larger than in
1885, and there 10 not only q hopeful but
also stable feeling throughout the trade
and in all the mills. The builders OF rail-
roads, moreover, were more sctiyo last
year than they bavs ever been 10 the
United States, except only during the two
unccmmonly active years Il 1881 and
1882, when railroad construction xss over
doae. In 1886, 5000 miles Of nsw. roads
were built, very nearly hal; OF which
were laid in the new and n5wly.awakened
sections Of the South sad Southwest. There
is no evidence that the building OF now
roads was overdone, and the construc-
ton Of 5000 miles year, under pronicing
conditions, Is one OF tho nest noteworthy
facts OF thu year. With 60 hesl!hful an in
dustrisl condition, what becomes Of the
doctrine which Is sounded III thecars oithe
country from high official positions ut tho
National Capital, and preached. with such
ill-advisod persistsIcn il tho House OF
Rspresentativss-that q continuation OF
the protective tariff is working all manner
OF hardahips and fsat bringing general
ruin? The change OF administration hss
bear prevented from bringing commercial
disaster only becsu.e the Republican
policy OF protection has not, with all the |
strength of tho Administrators recon-
msndations and iusieteHce, YET been absn-
donod. Ii every index OF the countcy's
industrial condition indicates prosperity
under tbs protective tariff, what nonsenpe
it is, ns we'll 90 y crime, Tor the Tree traders
to continue their melancholy moan and to
persist in trying to persuade prosperous
people 10 hazard q complete revolution in
the industrial policy OF the Government"